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Civil War of Wolf's Crossing
The Civil War of Wolf's Crossing began in March of 623 K.C. It was the first conflict of its kind to occur in Wolf's Crossing for more than five hundred years, and widely regarded as the darkest hour for the Royal house of Blackmorn. The conflict began with King Darion and those who would see him remain King of Wolf's Crossing on one side, and those who supported his sister, Lorrain Blackvale on the other--including Caterinia Soren-Whitehall. It was Caterinia that emerged victorious, after she betrayed Lorrain and declared herself Grand Duchess of Wolf's Crossing by right of conquest. To add further legitimacy to her reign, Caterinia married Lorrain's younger brother and last of King Jon's legitimate sons, Michael Blackmorn. Lorrain was then exiled from Wolf's Crossing on pain of death and forced to reside in Stormwind, at Summer Hall. Caterinia and Michael became the first Grand Duke and Duchess of Wolf's Crossing in October of 623 K.C. thus ending the war. The Rising Tensions Having already imprisoned Caterinia Soren-Whitehall and stripped her of her holdings (See Leone) in Wolf's Crossing, on the eve of April 12th, 623 K.C. King Darion signed a warrant to have her executed for treason after she repeatedly urged him to make peace with Blackmarsh and bend a knee to the Kingdom of Lordaeron Restored. Caterinia's execution was to take place on May 1st. After hearing that his sister was to be beheaded, Wolf's Crossing's former champion, Sir Varic Soren rode to Leone and on the 17th of April, released Caterinia and her daughter from their cells, slaying several Blackmorn soldiers during their escape. In response, Darion named the former champion of Wolf's Crossing an oathbreaker and offered his weight in gold to anyone who could capture him and bring him back to the Crossing to stand trial. After seeing his sister and his Niece safely beyond Wolf's Crossing's borders, Soren rode South and surrendered himself to Lorrain Blackvale at Summer Hall. Much to Darion's dismay, not only did Lorrain pardon the Knight for his crimes, but also took him into her personal service. Upon hearing the news, King Darion was furious and dispatched a dozen men to Summer Hall with orders not to return without Soren's head. The Massacre At Summer Hall - June 21st 623 K.C. When twelve soldiers under her brother's command arrived at Summer Hall and forced their way through the gates with the intent to execute Sir Varic Soren, Lorrain Blackvale ordered what remained of her household guard to resist them, resulting in a bloody battle inside the courtyard. One of the men made an attempt to slay the pregnant widow, but discovered far too late why she was so often referred to as "the she wolf". When the foolish soldier dressed in little but boiled leather armor grabbed her by the throat, the young widow is said to have driven a dagger into his unprotected groin before escaping the carnage that ensued. Despite the Duchess urging him to remain inside the house, Soren chose to engage the soldiers of Wolf's Crossing to prevent any harm from coming to her. In spite of his unwavering determination to defend Lorrain and her household, Soren fell after sustaining wounds from multiple attackers, but not before slaying all but five of the would-be assassins. Due to Summer Hall's proximity to Stormwind Keep, the Stormwind Guard was soon dispatched to put an end to the carnage. When the soldiers sent from Wolf's Crossing refused to surrender, they were riddled with quarrels from the crossbows of a dozen well-trained guardsmen. Despite the efforts of their trained medics, Soren died of his wounds just moments after the Stormwind Guard arrived. Lorrain fled to Stormwind's Cathedral after her Champion was slain and intended to remain there for the safety of the child she carried. More than thirty lives were lost in the brief, but bloody battle that erupted in the courtyard and the Stormwind Guard has assigned a handful of men to ensure that there is no further bloodshed. Among the dead were all eight members of the lady's household guard, two stable hands and several house servants who were butchered as they attempted to flee. The very public conflict created a difficult situation for King Darion, who in a notice drafted by the Royal Council, was ordered to pay the cost of the guardsmen required to put an end to the battle and a very large fine for disturbing the public peace, and shedding blood within the city walls. Blackmorn was also asked to present himself at King Varian's Court to answer for the crimes committed by his soldiers within Stormwind's walls. Having been ordered to explain the nature of the conflict at Summer Hall and inform King Varian's council of the details regarding the civil war in Wolf's Crossing, Lorrain herself was cleared of any wrong doing and allowed to return to the estate once it was safe to do so. She briefly resided with the Duke of Eastburg, Erich Gottfried Manstein, while Summer Hall was prepared for her return. The Battle of the Black Forest Coming Soon! The Battle of Hammerfall Coming Soon! The Battle of Pinewood Coming Soon! The Siege of Rosegarde Coming Soon! Capture Of Darion Blackmorn Before the Royal Council's notice could reach him, on the morning of June 23rd, King Darion and a small number of his guardsmen came under attack from a band of sellswords while traveling through the harsh wilderness of Wolf's Crossing's Eastern region to oversee the construction of the holdfast he had ordered erected on its border. Darion was forced to surrender to his attackers after all six of his trusted guardsmen were slain. The sellswords identified themselves as rebels, acting on the orders of Caterinia Soren-Whitehall. Darion was then escorted to the newly-constructed holdfast, only to discover that it was being held by Caterinia and more than sixty of her men. His capture marked the beginning of the civil war in Wolf's Crossing and several battles were fought throughout the heavily-forested region. Blackmorn's Queen and their children were thankfully absent during the siege of Castle Blackmorn and remained safe at her fortress in Dwarven lands, known as Dragon's Landing. The Failed Siege Of Castle Blackmorn - June 26th, 623 K.C. Though many saw it coming after the bitterness between Darion and his sister resulted in her outright refusal to marry again for the good of Wolf's Crossing, Darion never anticipated his sister rallying her late husband's men to her cause. Under orders from Lorrain, Damon Blackvale sealed the gates of Rosegarde, preventing access to the town and refusing to allow the entry of any Blackmorn soldiers. On the morning of June 26th, Blackvale marched his men North, where they joined with the remaining Whitehall loyalists and after being commanded to do so by Lady Caterinia, lay siege to Castle Blackmorn. For three days and nights, Blackvale and Whitehall soldiers bombarded the Castle walls with cannon fire, only to have their numbers cut in half by the Blackmorns own cannons. With more than twenty guns atop its battlements, Castle Blackmorn proved to be far more resillient than they had anticipated. The Castle's defenders were led by Darion's Uncle, Jhorin Blackmorn, the Duke of Jonsport, who was appointed Lord-Regent of Wolf's Crossing after his Nephew's capture. On the fourth day of the siege, both sides met outside the Castle walls to discuss terms and Darion was brought out in chains in the hope of crushing his Uncle's spirits. Caterinia offered the following terms for Darion's release: 1. Abdicate the Throne immediately. 2. Name his sister, Lorrain Blackvale as his successor. 3. Return Leone, its Castle and all other Soren holdings to Caterinia Soren-Whitehall. 4. Rosegarde and its attached Dukedom must pass (as intended) to Tytos Blackvale's heirs. 5. If King Darion meets all four of the demands, his life will be spared and he shall be allowed to live in exile with his wife at Dragon's Landing. Outraged by the very notion of honoring such terms, Jhorin refused on his Nephew's behalf and battle resumed just hours later. Darion remained a prisoner of the Whitehalls and both sides suffered heavy casualties. Jhorin, a renowned battle commander with several victories against the vrykul during the Northrend Campaign to his credit was said to be utterly merciless with regard to his enemies--a fact well-demonstrated when more than a dozen wolves were unleashed during the first night of the siege, tearing into the enemy camp while it slept and killing numerous Whitehall and Blackvale soldiers. With such a man leading the Blackmorn forces, a long and bloody conflict seemed inevitable. Second Siege of Castle Blackmorn - July 3rd, 623 K.C. Just after darkness descended upon the Crossing on the night of July 3rd, Caterinia resumed the siege of Castle Blackmorn with reinforcements from the house of Blackvale and the house of Thorn. With fewer than one hundred men in their party and after three hours of bombarding, the attackers managed to create a breach in the Castle's outer wall just after midnight. A bloody battle erupted in the outer courtyard when defenders under the command of Jhorin Blackmorn engaged the rebels. Both sides suffered heavy casualties and after suffering a grievous wound in battle, rather than surrender it to the rebels, Jhorin ordered his men to put the castle to the torch and withdraw to Jonsport. Despite the rebels efforts to contain the fire, Castle Blackmorn, which had stood for many centuries was largely reduced to a ruin in a matter of hours. Scouts reported that Jhorin Blackmorn died of his wounds enroute to Jonsport. Though Jhorin's youngest son held the port, many of the soldiers who fought for his father are said to have urged the younger Blackmorn to sue for peace. The Siege of Jonsport On the afternoon of July 5th, the bulk of the rebel forces under the joint command of Caterinia Soren-Whitehall and Damon Blackvale arrived in Jonsport, where they met with Henry Blackmorn to discuss the terms of his surrender. After several hours of heated negotiations, the younger Blackmorn reluctantly accepted defeat and surrendered to the rebels. Despite the surrender of the Blackmorns, the King of Wolf's Crossing remained a prisoner and many of Whitehall's loyalists called for his head in payment for the murder of renowned Knight, Sir Varic Soren and for the attempted assassination of his own sister, the Duchess of Rosegarde. Justice or Murder? On the morning of July 10th, King Darion was dragged in chains to the Soren seat of Leone, where he was officially deposed during a trial described by many as a farce. He was convicted of a list of crimes, including tyrany, murder, and even polygamy for allegedly being in a four-way marriage. Due to being convicted of polygamy, his child by Victoriea Holfmann (Darion Blackmorn II) was declared illegitimate, thus removing the infant from the line of succession. Despite the tyrany the people of Wolf's Crossing endured under his reign, many protested the hasty trial put on by the Whitehall loyalists on grounds that Darion's sister was not present as initially agreed to. The Blackmorns were shocked when the deposed King was sentenced to death by beheading just two days later. He was taken in chains to Callow Hill, where he was later beheaded by Sir Willem Poole, a Knight in the service of the house of Whitehall. Those who attended the execution were outraged when Caterinia delivered the final insult to Darion by having him beheaded with his own blade, Light's Justice. Despite Lorrain's legitimate claim to her father's domain, just two days after her brother's execution, Caterinia Soren-Whitehall called a meeting of the lords of the Crossing, during which she declared herself Grand Duchess of Wolf's Crossing by right of conquest and ordered all Blackmorns to surrender themselves at Leone or be arrested within a fortnight. Outraged by Caterinia's declaration, a number of Blackmorn loyalists drew their swords and were subsequently slain by Whitehall Knights, Sirs Willem Poole and Stephen Warwyk. After the brief violence, Caterinia went on to bestow the lands of Osric's Anvil, Jonsport and the East Watch to lords of her choosing. Outraged and lacking the swords with which to resist the Whitehall betrayal, Henry Blackmorn and all those loyal to him managed to escape Jonsport via a ship bound for Wolf's Bay in Howling Fjord. The Failed Siege of Rosegarde - August 3rd, 623 K.C. Despite failing to take Rosegarde, Caterinia Soren-Whitehall managed to take control of the entire Northern half of Wolf's Crossing. For her refusal to hand over Rosegarde, Lorrain Blackvale was exiled from Wolf's Crossing, never to return on pain of death. The Restoration of the House of Tolvan When it was discovered that Edwin Tolvan's youngest daughter was alive and holding Michael Blackmorn prisoner at Pinewood, Caterinia offered to restore her father's lands to her in exchange for her prisoner. Tolvan accepted and was later created Countess of Osric's Anvil. Prince Michael Blackmorn, who was believed to have been slain during the Tolvan Uprising was the last remaining male offspring of Jon Blackmorn and in Caterinia's eyes, the key to controlling all of Wolf's Crossing. Blackmorn remained a prisoner at Leone while his captors decided how to proceed. The Restoration of the House of Bartell Caterinia had wisely reached out to a number of the Blackmorns most bitter enemies and the house of Bartell proved to be instrumental in holding the North. After Edric Blackmorn executed Lord Alec Bartell, his son and what remained of his soldiery fled to Stone Hearth, where they remained for nearly two years. With Saidan Madarin fled to Dragon's Landing, Caterinia created David Bartell Baron of Stone Hearth in exchange for his oath of fealty to her. The Marriage That Shook the Kingdom Without Rosegarde, Caterinia knew that she could never hope to remain in power. Fortunately for her, Jon Blackmorn's only living son was now her prisoner, and Caterinia was confident that if she could convince the 20 year-old Prince to marry her for the sake of peace, her power would be secure. Before agreeing to the marriage, Prince Michael made some demands of his own. First, his sister's son's title and inheritence must be restored, and second, said child, Tytos Blackvale II would be made first in the line of succession until Caterinia produced an heir. When Caterinia agreed to both demands, Michael made a third request--to challenge Sir Willem Poole to single combat, and avenge his brother Darion's death. Caterinia reluctantly agreed, and Prince Michael slew Sir Willem in single combat. Light's Justice was taken from the fallen Knight and held in trust for Darion's son. In what was perhaps the most controversial act in the Crossing's history, Michael Blackmorn finally signed the marriage contract with his bitter enemy, and he and Caterinia were wed on October 18th, 623 K.C. The marriage has produced no children, and may believe Caterinia to be barren. The pair were coronated after the wedding, making them the first Grand Duke and Duchess of Wolf's Crossing. Category:Wars Category:Events Category:Wolf's Crossing